Broken Hero
by KarenRen-Rin
Summary: Losing Yuugi to Dartz had scarred Yami more than anyone could have imagined. It changed him, warped him, twisted him—turned him into someone who would lash out at his little one, at his aibou, and shatter his heart. "Yami… Did you just… hit me?" Puzzleshipping. YYxY.
1. Broken

**Broken Hero**

0o0

_Summary: Losing Yuugi to Dartz had scarred Yami more than anyone could have imagined. It changed him, warped him, twisted him—turned him into someone who would lash out at his little one, at his aibou, and shatter his heart. "Yami… Did you just… hit me?" Puzzleshipping._

**Warnings:**

Yami no Yuugi x Yuugi Mutou pairing (Puzzleshipping)

Yaoi

Mature content: dark themes, violence, language, mentions of rape, and the slight possibility of lemons (lemons are written only if the mood fits)

And a heap load of angst and a fistful of gut-wrenching drama.

0o0

_**Perhaps his soul really was warped.**_

_**Perhaps he really was borne from darkness, and darkness was all he would ever be.**_

At the back of his mind, he could hear something annoying going off. Without even opening his eyes, Yuugi's hand routinely reached out and slammed on top of the alarm clock, immediately killing that distasteful noise. It was still too early! Still half-asleep, Yuugi sighed happily in his bed, enjoying the welcome silence of early morning. He curled into his blankets, snuggling into his mattress, and slipped into a placid unconsciousness where the laws of time didn't matter and a minute passed by feeling like an hour.

Bliss.

And then he heard the chirping of morning birds and felt sunlight graze his face.

These were a better wake-up call than his alarm clock could ever be, because Yuugi knew the second that he was aware of these things that it really _was_ time to get his lazy ass out of bed.

Yuugi's eyes shot open and he gave a low curse as he hastily stumbled out of his bed, dragging his blanket partially to the floor as he did so. _'Damn it!'_ he cursed, instantly alert of the time and the fact that he was going to be late for school—_again_. He ran across his bedroom, grabbing his uniform and shredding his pyjama clothes carelessly onto the floor. He shouldn't have stayed up so late watching that movie. He knew he was going to regret it, and sometimes, Yuugi hated it when he was right.

He frantically put on his uniform, not quite tucking in his shirt, and brushed his teeth as he shoved random books and objects into his school bag. He glanced at his digital clock and almost cursed out loud. He needed to leave—_right now!_—if he ever hoped to make it on school before they closed the gates.

With that sense of urgency in mind, Yuugi gargled out the foam from his mouth, snatched up his backpack, and exited his room with an unintentional slam of the door, his footsteps heavy as he practically stumbled down the staircase. He all but hollered "Bye, grandpa! Bye, mum!" before he rushed out of the store and into the street, breaking out into a run.

In his haste, however, he forgot one crucial thing.

In his bedroom, on the upper floor of the Kame Game Shop, on his desk next to his bed, rested a golden item with a strange, otherworldly carving of an eye. It was left there, forgotten in the abrupt silence of the room, and it glowed once angrily before the light died down and it became dull.

0o0

Yuugi sighed beneath his breath, nervously scratching the back of his head as he made his journey home. Today wasn't such a good day, although he wasn't really surprised about that. He'd forgotten to bring the Millennium Puzzle, after all, and even a dull school day could become tediously awful without the spirit there to talk to in the quiet moments.

That morning, Yuugi had realised that he'd forgotten the Puzzle the minute he stepped out of the game shop. He noticed the lack of weight around his neck and the usual thud of the pyramid against his torso as he ran; but it was already too late. He was already tight on time and he knew in his gut that he didn't have time to turn back and snatch up the Puzzle. He was proven correct—again—when he arrived at his school the second they were closing the gates. He only just managed to slip through before the grumpy staff could seal the gates with a grim finality, casting Yuugi a withering glare that went unnoticed as the student ran towards the school building.

Still, Yuugi felt horrible about forgetting the Puzzle—about forgetting Yami.

He spent the whole day at school just thinking about it, and the guilt only deepened when his friends asked curiously about the absence of the Puzzle he _always_ wore. Yuugi's shoes scuffed the pavement as he continued to walk, his head bent. He had to apologise to the spirit because he knew that Yami would be upset.

But was it really just Yuugi's fault? Yami had been so quiet—ever since that whole episode with Dartz. The spirit barely initiated conversation with him anymore, more inclined to be by himself in solitude, and it concerned Yuugi greatly. Before, the spirit had also made it his duty to wake Yuugi at the appropriate time for school, and he never did that anymore either—hence why he was frequently late nowadays. He didn't blame the spirit for that, however; he shouldn't rely on him on such trivial tasks. But still. Yami's cold distance bothered Yuugi, and he wasn't quite sure how Yami would react to him for forgetting the Puzzle and leaving him behind.

He supposed he was about to find out soon, though.

"I'm back, grandpa!" was his usual greeting as he entered the game shop. His grandpa, attending the counter, nodded at him with a smile before he continued to chat to one of their customers. Yuugi didn't intrude on them any further and silently went up the stairs. He reached his bedroom and released an audible sigh. He turned the knob of the door and walked inside.

It was late afternoon yet the sun still managed to light his room sufficiently—at least, that's how it usually was. However, when Yuugi entered his bedroom, it was a lot colder than he was used to and a shade darker despite the open window. Yuugi felt a small shiver run down his spine and he dumped his backpack heavily at the foot of his bed. He inwardly gulped. He had no doubt that the uncomfortable tension in the air was caused by the dull, almost eerie object resting on his desk.

Well. Now Yuugi knew that Yami was definitely upset.

"Mou hitori no boku?" he questioned quietly, tentatively walking towards the Puzzle and gingerly lifting it into his hands. "I'm—"

Then the object glowed brightly, and through their link, Yuugi sensed a deep, rolling anger that made him flinch slightly. Then it faded abruptly and left Yuugi's skin pasty with dry sweat. "Yami?" No answer came and the sudden silence and stillness of the room summoned an irrational dread to pool in Yuugi's stomach. "Yami! Please, just come out and talk to me, okay? I'm sorry I left the Puzzle here!"

No response. The Puzzle remained dull in his hands.

'… _He's acting so childish,'_ Yuugi couldn't help but suddenly think. He frowned thoughtfully and willed the panic that accumulated inside of him to die down in its intensity. _'Sure, he has the right to be angry, but does he have to be __**that**__ angry? This is the first time I've ever done this—and it wasn't like I did it on purpose.'_

After calling out to the spirit a few more times with no result, Yuugi huffed and put the Puzzle back on the table. "Fine," he said aloud as he walked back to his backpack. "I don't know what's gotten into you, mou hitori no boku, but I've already apologised. I'm going to get some homework done and then I'm going to bed—will that give you enough time to cool your head a little?"

As he expected, Yami didn't answer him. Still, he was disappointed with the spirit's attitude and a bit more than concerned about his cold shoulder. The spirit never had tantrums like this before and Yuugi was wary about confronting him right now. Or, maybe it was _because_ the spirit was acting so strangely that Yuugi should talk to him now, before any misunderstandings between them could boil over?

Yuugi thought about this as he placed his homework books on his desk. He looked back at the Millennium Puzzle and then back to his exercise books. He scratched his head, exasperated. _'Fine!' _he mentally scowled. _'It's not as if I'll be able to concentrate on my studies with Yami like this anyway.'_

Plus, he despised doing English homework.

He took off his shoes and socks and his outer jacket, leaving him with his black shirt and blue pants. He collapsed on his bed with a weary sigh and grabbed the Millennium Puzzle from the desk. He held it above his chest carefully. He then closed his eyes and bid the Puzzle, _'Please take me inside.'_

Even though his eyes were closed, he could still see the golden glow of the Puzzle through his eyelids. A strange and yet familiar sensation washed over him and he released a shuddering breath, feeling his vision blacken entirely. Then he opened his eyes and realised that he was no longer lying down on his bed. Instead, he was standing in the middle of his own soul room, made homely with all the miscellaneous yet precious toys scattered around the floor and on his bed. The room was brightly-lit, with white walls, and Yuugi couldn't help but smile as he threw the chains attached to the Puzzle around his neck. The familiar weight calmed Yuugi immensely and he knew that this was a good idea.

He didn't want to fight with his mou hitori no boku, and the sooner they smoothed over their problems, the better.

He stepped out into the hallway and was greeted with the looming, intimidating door to Yami's soul room. Yuugi repressed a shiver—that giant eye always made him uneasy, if only a little. He walked over and rapped his knuckles against the door.

"Mou hitori no boku? Can I come in? I want to talk to you."

Silence answered him and Yuugi chose to interpret that as a 'yes'. It definitely wasn't a 'no', so he figured it was okay. He pushed through the doors and was met with the familiar sight of obscure staircases and an uncountable number of doors. He closed the door behind him and clasped his hands behind his back, humming inquisitively beneath his breath. "Mou hitori no boku?"

He sincerely hoped that the other would answer him now. Yuugi wasn't exactly eager to wander around the labyrinth in search of him—who knew where he'd end up? It was a very real possibility that Yuugi would get lost so he wanted to avoid wandering aimlessly around.

"Yami?"

"What are you doing in here, Yuugi?"

The cold, indifferent voice made Yuugi jump slightly. He turned his head and watched as the spirit advanced him from behind one of the staircases. Relief washed over Yuugi at the sight of him—he hadn't seen the spirit in days and only now did he realise how truly worried he was about his well-being. Yuugi walked up to him quickly, meeting him half way. They stopped when they were merely two metres away from each other.

"I came to apologise," Yuugi started, coughing awkwardly into his fist. He glanced away once before he met Yami's impassive stare. "I left the Millennium Puzzle at home while I was at school. I'd forgotten about it without meaning to and I just wanted to say… sorry for leaving you all alone."

Yami didn't say anything in response for a while. He simply stared at him coldly, while Yuugi held his gaze with a sincerely regretful look. Yami's lips remained downturned. "You forgot the Puzzle," he repeated, his tone blunt.

Ashamed, Yuugi nodded.

"You forgot me."

Yuugi flinched at the choice of words and was quick to defend himself. "I didn't forget _you_, I just… I woke up really late and I needed to get to school before they closed the gates… And even though I remembered when I stepped out of the shop, I couldn't turn back… There wasn't enough time and…"

"That's no excuse!" Yami suddenly roared, making Yuugi jump slightly.

Yuugi frowned. "… Yami?"

Yami's darkened gaze was sharp and furious. "You should _never_ forget about me, Yuugi! You're to have the Puzzle on you at all times! It's foolish to leave it behind, especially when you're going out!"

The younger man's frown deepened even more. He felt a touch of irritation, most likely in response to Yami's own anger. "Yami, you're being unreasonable. I've never forgotten about you—I'll never forget you—and this kind of incident wasn't intentional. I've already said sorry. It won't happen aga—"

"I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation, Yuugi," Yami interrupted again, which only served to piss Yuugi off more. Yami walked forward until he was able to reach out and grab Yuugi's forearm tightly. "If you leave the Puzzle at home, I can't come to your aid if you're in danger. I _need_ to protect you, Yuugi, and I can't do that if you do something stupid like leave the Puzzle behind."

The strength behind the grip made Yuugi wince. He could feel the spirit's nails digging into him, pinching him. He tried to shrug him off but Yami wouldn't let go of him. "Yami, what's wrong with you?" he snapped. He didn't like what he was seeing. This wasn't the calm, collected, in-control former Pharaoh that he was used to. In fact, he'd only seen him like this when he was facing a despised enemy of theirs who managed to make him snap. So why, for heaven's sake, was Yami glaring at _him_ like he was an enemy?

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _me_?" Yami repeated incredulously. "Yuugi, I'm your _protector_, I'm meant to be with you everywhere. _You're _the one who forgot about me, who left me behind, leaving you completely defenceless! How was I supposed to know if you were in danger—how am I supposed to _protect_ you?"

Yuugi heard the hurt in his voice, heard the desperateness and the fear. He heard it, felt it, and he stopped struggling against him. He could see the vulnerability in the spirit's eyes and Yuugi knew—he had to be careful with this. This wasn't the normal Yami. "Yami," he said slowly, articulating every sound as he tried to ease the spirit's hysteria. "I'm _sorry_. I didn't mean to leave the Puzzle behind. It just slipped my mind. I won't do it again. I want you to be with me, always, remember? I'm not going to leave you." Then, as an afterthought, he added with a playful smile, "And besides, it's probably a good thing that you have some time for yourself, right? I don't need your protection all the time, so you don't need to worry during our more quiet days."

During the first half of his speech, his words seemed to work. Yami's eyes had softened and his grip on Yuugi's arm had loosened into a gentle hold. But then Yuugi's finishing comment—which was only meant to help ease the tension between them—made Yami flare up again. He suddenly grabbed both of Yuugi's forearms and shook him slightly.

"That's not a good attitude to have, Yuugi," he said lowly, darkly, furiously. "You need my protection _all the time_. You think you're safe during our 'quiet times'? Then what about that time you handed the Puzzle to a complete _stranger_ and almost died in a fire?"

Yuugi flushed. "T-That's—"

"I can't trust you, Yuugi. You can't protect yourself."

His words felt like a brutal punch to Yuugi's stomach and he actually buckled as if he were hit. His breath left him and he stared into Yami's eyes, searching. Yami's gaze didn't waver: those dark lavender eyes were hard, cold, and, to Yuugi, completely and utterly _degrading_.

With a whole-consuming fury, Yuugi ripped himself away from Yami's grip and took a few steps back. He clenched his hands tightly into fists and looked to the ground, unable to look at the spirit's face. "… You mean that, mou hitori no boku?"

Yami either didn't realise the extent of the younger man's pain, or he actually didn't care, because he answered without hesitation: "Of course. Yuugi, you're weak and easily hurt. I need to be there to keep you safe."

Yuugi bit his bottom lip. He tried to be compassionate. He tried to be understanding. He tried—_he really did_—to keep calm and patient so that this whole thing could just blow over without any incident.

But Yami's words had hurt.

They had _hurt_.

Was that all he was to the spirit?

Just some stuttering, stupid weakling that constantly needed his protection? A little kid who couldn't do anything by himself—so useless that he had to rely on a dead Pharaoh for _everything_?

He mumbled something beneath his breath that Yami didn't catch.

Yami crossed his arms, narrowed his eyes, and asked, "What did you say, Yuugi?"

Yuugi took a deep breath and finally looked up, meeting his eyes with a fiery glare of his own. "_You're smothering me_."

Yami inwardly flinched at the anger in Yuugi's voice but he didn't back down. "Excuse me?"

"You're. Smothering. _Me_." He accompanied each word with a harsh poke to the former Pharaoh's chest. "I don't need you watching me all the time—sometimes, I can protect _myself_."

The harsh bark of laughter that escaped Yami's lips surprised them both. "Right," the spirit said, shaking his head in bitter bemusement.

That only served to infuriate Yuugi even more. "I don't know what's gotten into you, Yami, but you're acting like a complete _jackass_." Anger and indignation boiled in his veins like hot, white lava, and Yuugi let himself be carried away by these explosive emotions. It was easier to feel these than to feel the hurt, shame, and utter _humiliation_ that Yami's words made him feel. "You give me the cold shoulder for weeks and then you say this to me? I thought we were _partners_, that we were _equals_! I don't like the way you're treating me!"

"What else am I supposed to say?" Yami retaliated with a growl. "Yuugi, you're just being stubborn and letting your pride blind you. You can't protect yourself, you need—"

"I _can_ protect myself," Yuugi interrupted with a shout. "I don't need you breathing down my back all the time! I don't need you watching over me like I'm some fragile piece of glass! I don't need you telling me how weak I am when I already _know_. I know, Yami. I know I'm weak but at the same time, I can give myself more credit than what you're giving me right now! I'm my own person and I _know_ that I'm strong enough to _at least—_"

_SHUT __**UP**__!_

Yuugi staggered back, his anger dissipating in an instant to make way for complete shock. He raised a shaky hand and gingerly touched his cheek, wincing as the flesh beneath his hand throbbed; the pain, however, was nothing compared to that of his trembling heart. He turned his head slowly to stare unflinchingly into Yami's eyes. "Yami… Did you just… _hit me_?"

A flash of something passed through those dark eyes. A flash of pain—of regret? Yuugi couldn't tell. Whatever it was, though, it was quickly covered up by an indifferent _coldness_ that made Yuugi shiver.

Why was the spirit looking at him like that?

"I think you've said all you've needed to say, Yuugi," Yami said, his voice tight, his hands fisted. "You've made yourself perfectly clear. Now get out."

"Mou hitori no boku…"

"Get out. GET OUT!"

Yuugi didn't know what to do. He was too shocked—his feet remained planted firmly on the ground. He couldn't move.

Besides. Could he really just…

_Leave_?

Yami's eyes flashed angrily at him and something began to glow sinisterly on his forehead. Yuugi blinked. No, he wouldn't—

He wouldn't use that on him.

But then again...

Yami had hit him.

_Yami_ had hit _him_, so…

So—

"_**GET OUT!**_"

But even with the ferocity of his voice, even with the threat of a mind crush, Yuugi still couldn't move his legs. He was staring right at Yami, still trying to understand, and when the spirit jarred suddenly towards him—as if to _hurt_ him—Yuugi gave a cry, threw his arms up in defence, and shut his eyes tightly.

Then, he vanished.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in his room lying on his back on the bed. He quickly sat up and let the Puzzle slide out of his hands to land heavily on the floor. It was like deadweight. He didn't look at it. He simply turned his back on it, curled up on himself, and shuddered uncontrollably.

0o0

Days passed.

They were silent days.

Every morning, Yuugi had gotten up at the command of the alarm clock. Every morning, he'd hold the Millennium Puzzle close to his chest and close his eyes. Every morning, he would apologise.

And every morning, Yami remained silent.

Then Yuugi would give up, but he'd slip the Puzzle around his neck anyway. He'd told the spirit that he would never leave him behind again and he kept his promises. Even if the weight of the Puzzle wasn't exactly comfortable anymore.

It was the fourth day now and Yuugi sighed as he walked back home after school. Ever since the confrontation—or whatever it was—Yuugi had been dispirited (no pun intended). His closest friends, of course, had noticed immediately and were very concerned. They didn't buy his fake cheerfulness in the mornings and they wouldn't tolerate the way he would brush off their questions with a shaky laugh. They didn't like the way Yuugi was keeping secrets from them, how he was hiding his pain from them, but the young King of Games was adamant.

This was a problem between him and Yami.

He himself didn't even know what went wrong anyway, so how could he possibly explain the situation to them?

He didn't even know how he felt.

Sure, he was sorry about this whole situation. He wished it never happened. But he was still angry, still a little ticked off, about the way Yami had treated him. He could apologise for forgetting the Puzzle and for losing his temper—but deep down, Yuugi was expecting an apology from the spirit as well. If it came to it, he'd _**demand**_ one from him.

Yuugi was a generous individual. But he still knew where to draw the line.

(And, even though there was no physical evidence, Yuugi could still feel the sting of his fist on his cheek. He wanted—no, _needed_ an apology for that as well. He needed one badly.)

But as long as the spirit closed himself off from him, barring their mental connection, there really was nothing that Yuugi could do, no matter how much he hated feeling so helpless.

Yuugi scowled to himself. _'What are you waiting for… mou hitori no boku?_'

Then a shrill, panicked cry shook him out of his musings. Yuugi snapped his head up, wondering where that distressed sound had come from. He turned his head, finally finding the origin of that cry.

It came from a girl, wearing a high school uniform, in one of the public parks by the local street. There were tears running down her cheeks as she shook her head from side to side. She was backed into one of the playground nets as these two grown men surrounded her. "Stop! Don't come closer!" Yuugi heard her scream. "Somebody! Please! Help!"

Yuugi hastily looked around. It was late afternoon (he had cleaning duty after class that day) and there were only three other people who knew of that girl's situation. It looked like a mother with her two children—a family who had spent the day at the park. She had ushered her children away from the scene and was protecting them hastily with her arms; she looked frightened and indecisive, and Yuugi couldn't blame her. She had two kids to protect and undoubtedly she'd be hesitant to come to the high schooler's aid if it threatened her family.

That only left Yuugi then.

So much for a quiet evening.

The girl shrieked again when one of the big, burly men grabbed her wrist, making her drop her school bag. Yuugi stepped into the park, picked up a moderately-sized rock, and chucked it harshly against the guy's head.

The man gave a loud curse and quickly spun around, instantly spotting Yuugi and sending him a death-glare. By now, the mother had made a decision and decided to flee, dragging the two crying children with her. There was no one else to witness the scene now.

"Hey!" Yuugi called, his heart hammering in his chest. "Leave her alone!"

The two men fixed him with almost identical sneers. The girl gave a relieved sob and tore her hand away, easily doing so because of the distraction. When the two men turned their attentions back to her, intent on capturing her again, Yuugi immediately threw another rock at their direction, his aim true as it hit the same guy's head with a mean thud. The other man continued to chase the girl and Yuugi instinctively rushed forwards, slamming his own body into his with enough force to hurdle them both into the ground.

Yuugi looked up just in time to see the girl staring down at him with a shocked expression, the tears still dripping down her face as her entire body trembled. "Run!" Yuugi demanded, and that was the trigger she needed to turn around and bolt.

Yuugi would have gladly followed her example if he hadn't suddenly been grabbed tightly and dragged up to his feet. "Who do you think you are?" came the shout in his face. "Don't meddle in other people's affairs!"

"Let go of me!" Yuugi shouted, trying to tear his arm away. But the man was strong, with thick, muscular arms, and the glare on his rectangular face showed no intent of letting him go. He towered over him and was intimidating enough to make Yuugi gulp. The man reminded him of an older Ushio. _'I wonder if there's a chance that this matter can be settled with a duel?'_ Yuugi meekly thought.

No such luck, however.

"Damn it!" cursed the other man, who had just managed to get back on his feet. He gave Yuugi a merciless punch to his stomach, which immediately had the young man winded and buckled over in pain. "I've had my sights on her for days! Who are you to play hero, huh, kid?"

If these two men weren't double his size (and a little bit more), Yuugi would have shown them just how 'heroic' he could be. But alas, this sort of thing wasn't his expertise. He wasn't built to fight back against bullies in a physical match. _'Just get it over with,'_ he inwardly groaned, mentally going over the menial tasks he'd do at home after this was over in order to block out his current fear and anxiety. He found that helped sometimes.

"Hey, what's this you've got around your neck, huh?"

Yuugi's eyes went wide and the moment he saw one of the men grab his Puzzle, his struggles were renewed with a greater sense of desperateness. "Don't touch that!" he snarled, trying to fight off the guy who was holding him. His free hand went up to grab the chain that his Puzzle hung from, his grip firm even as the other man tried to tug it away from him.

"Brat!"

Yuugi was hit again and the force of the strike sent him to the ground with a painful groan. Then he felt someone grabbing his hair and harshly pulling him up to his knees. Yuugi gave out an unbidden hiss of pain as he instinctively reached up to grab at the man's wrist.

Then the other man walked around him, crouched, and took hold of Yuugi's face roughly. "You cost me a girl tonight, boy," he said lowly, glaring directly into Yuugi's defiant eyes. The man turned Yuugi's face from side to side and, after a moment's contemplation, a sick grin stretched itself across his face. "I guess you'll have to replace her, now won't you? Time to take some responsibility for your actions, brat."

His words dropped like lead in his stomach and Yuugi broke out into a cold sweat. The man behind him cackled and violently pulled him to his feet. They began to drag him away from the park and towards one of the dark alleyways that surrounded it.

"No…" Yuugi whispered, his eyes wide. "Let go of me!"

But he was only struck again at the face to silence him. When they were finally shrouded in the shadows of the alleyway, Yuugi felt the full extent of his fear. It made his skin clammy and made his heart beat at an irregular, painfully fast rate. He could feel himself hyperventilating, his breaths coming out in short, quick pants; his eyes frantically tried to find a way out of this mess to no prevail. He couldn't see how he could escape from this situation by himself.

'_Yami!'_

He was shoved violently against the alley wall, feeling the bricks rub against the clothes on his back. One man kept a hold of his struggling fists, keeping them above his head, as the other began to punch his ribs and knee his stomach repeatedly.

'_Yami! Please!'_

Yuugi tried kicking out but the man simply grabbed his knees and harshly spread them apart. He stepped in between them, effectively rendering them useless.

'_Mou hitori no boku!'_

From the corner of his eyes, he could see a group of people entering the park. The sun was almost down now and he couldn't see their faces; however, he did recognise the high school girl who was leading them. She was pointing frantically around, as if she was looking for something, and in a surge of hope Yuugi wondered if she'd come back to help him. He opened his mouth to shout at her, to yell, but he was silenced by a large, hairy hand that suddenly clamped down over his mouth. The force of the hand snapped Yuugi's head back painfully against the brick wall and he let out a muffled groan of pain.

In despair, he watched as the group of people—along with the girl—hastily left, probably in search of him elsewhere. _'No! Don't leave! I'm right here—__**right here**__!'_

He renewed his struggles but that only earned him another punch to the gut. He felt himself being dragged deeper into the dark alleyway and before he knew it, his face was slammed against the alley wall. The action caused him to unintentionally bite the insides of his cheeks; furthermore, he felt the skin on his face break into cuts and he gritted his teeth in pain, tears of fear stinging his eyes.

'_Yami! Yami, please, I need you—!'_

One of the men kept his wrists up and made sure that he didn't move his head away from the wall. When Yuugi heard the sound of a zipper falling, he opened his mouth and released a scream. He felt his hair being pulled and then his head was slammed back against the wall, effectively silencing him. Blood dripped down from his forehead.

'_Yami, they're hurting me! They're hurting me! __**Yami**__!'_

He felt the man harshly groping him until he found Yuugi's belt, which he immediately began to undo. Yuugi's protests came to an abrupt stop as his head, once again, was slammed against the wall in retribution.

'_I'm sorry, Yami! I'm sorry! Please, help me! I'm so scared, I'm so scared, __**I'm so scared**__—'_

He felt his pants and boxers being abruptly pulled down until they pooled around his knees. Yuugi struggled and again he was met with more pain that made him dizzy and delirious. Yet, no amount of pain could bury the raw and scathing **fear** that had taken over his entire body.

"Don't do this to me," he whispered aloud, squeezing his eyes shut as the tears poured unbidden down his face. "Please don't do this, please don't do this, Yami, please, come save me, _Yami_…"

He felt rough hands on his hips.

'_Yami!'_

Their mental connection remained closed.

Yami didn't answer him.

Yuugi's breath hitched painfully, the bile already at the back of his throat.

'_Please!'_

His Puzzle glowed, but other than that, nothing happened.

Yuugi cried.

'_**YAMI**__!'_

0o0

Yami gently cradled the younger boy to his chest, his arms wrapped possessively around the shivering form.

"Shh, Yuugi, you're okay now, it's over. It's over."

But Yuugi wasn't listening to him. His eyes were blank and unseeing. He simply sat there, curled into a trembling ball, as he was held by the spirit he once trusted with his life.

"Now you realise, don't you, Yuugi? You need me. You can't protect yourself."

Yami stroked the younger's back soothingly, keeping his chin resting on top of his head. He ignored his surroundings—he ignored the way Yuugi's soul room, once so bright and happy, had crumbled into a bleak ruin of destroyed toys and tarnished walls. He ignored how cold it was, how colourless and grey. He simply continued to rock his host gently as they sat there on the floor.

"It's a lesson you had to learn, Yuugi. I'm your protector, your guardian, and I need you to take me seriously. You can't leave me behind again. You can't."

He heaved a heavy sigh.

"I can't lose you. Not again. I need to be by your side, always. I can't have you deciding things on your own—I can't have you putting yourself in danger."

Yami held Yuugi closer to his chest.

"I mean, look at what's happened. You decided to play hero again, and now look at you. I'm just trying to help you, Yuugi. I'm just trying to protect you."

Yami kissed the crown of Yuugi's head tenderly, lovingly.

"This is a lesson I hope you've learned, little one: I'm the protector, and you're the one that's protected. It's never the other way around. **Never**. Understand, Yuugi?"

Silence was his answer.

Yami buried his face against Yuugi's neck and shuddered brokenly.

"Never again… play the hero."

0o0

_Deep inside his soul room, through a tightly sealed door, sat a figure who had huddled himself into the corner. The room was dark and cold and the shadows danced unbidden inside it. They moved around the figure as if in comfort but if anything, they were just purely sinister._

_The young man hugged himself and trembled violently. He rocked on his heels with his hands clasped tightly over his ears. His eyes were squeezed shut and the tears leaked heavily down his cheeks._

"_**Aibou… Aibou…**__"_

_**My precious aibou…**_

0o0

Chapter One: End.

0o0


	2. Bruised

**Broken Hero**

0o0

Chapter Two: Bruised

0o0

_Thank you to all my reviewers and followers. Your support is much obliged!_

0o0

The first thing Yuugi noticed, surprisingly, wasn't the pain in his bones, the ache in his gut, or even the irritating throb in his head.

No, the first thing he noticed was the dark bruises on his knuckles.

His knuckles were slightly blistered, raw and scratched with tiny specks of dried blood, but it wasn't serious enough to warrant any medical treatment—apparently, anyway, since the doctors hadn't done anything about it.

'_Doctors?'_ Yuugi thought with an eerie calmness that he knew he shouldn't be feeling.

Where was he?

'_Yami? Where…'_

Yuugi tried to sit up but he immediately stopped with a cringe. There was a sharp pain deep inside of him, in some place that was unfamiliar. Yuugi let out a shaky gasp and fell back onto the white mattress like deadweight.

That deep, penetrating pain… It came from…

Yuugi's wide eyes dulled and his body relaxed—no, it didn't relax. It simply _sagged_. Yet, he could still feel his awareness coming back to him. He could still feel those memories—memories he'd rather tear into pieces and throw into a pit-full of molten tar—pushing naggingly at the back of his mind.

But Yuugi refused to remember them, not now, not yet, and he closed his eyes. No, he would choose not to remember right now. He'd choose not to remember why he was in this hospital bed, wrapped up in tight, white bindings with the smell of antiseptic heavy in the air. He'd choose not to remember why he was hurting so much, why his soul felt so dead. He'd choose not to remember the reason why his heart was aching so badly, as if someone very dear to him had ripped it out, twisted it into something unsightly, and shoved it back in again all warped and deranged and broken.

No, he'd choose not to remember anything about that.

Not now.

So he simply took a deep breath and allowed the kind, welcome darkness to swallow him, drowning him in a place where his memories could not hurt him.

0o0

The moment Yuugi had lost consciousness, Yami had immediately taken over his body.

Yami could feel the disgusting man inside him—inside _Yuugi_—and with drying eyes, he fisted his hands and became quiet.

The two men were surprised by the sudden stillness that came over the younger boy. He was a crying, dribbling mess just a second ago (incessantly calling out for this 'Yami' person), but then he became slack, as if he'd passed out. Then a sudden coolness descended upon them and even though the sun had already gone down, the atmosphere was far colder and more sinister than what they were used to. Without meaning to, the two men flinched. Even the man who was cruelly abusing the young duellist had stopped mid-action. He didn't know why but his throat had suddenly turned dry and he felt his gut twisting unpleasantly.

After a moment of tense silence that seemed to consume the night, the young boy finally turned his head around to look at his rapist.

Immediately, the man knew that this couldn't possibly be the same boy as before—there was no chance of that.

His eyes had lost that wide, doe-like innocence, and instead they were narrowed into a cold, deeply furious glare. His face, although stained with dried tear-tracks and marred with scratches, was somehow older, more defined, and, dare he say, _merciless_.

And then his voice. No longer was it the carefree cry of a youth who had barely lived out his life. No, his voice had become deeper, wiser—it reflected a keen awareness to the cruelties and shadows of the world.

It became a voice that was far too ancient and old—

And downright _chilling_.

"What?" the non-boy asked with that powerful stare. "You haven't finished yet, have you? Why have you stopped?"

The two men could only gape at his sudden and complete change of character.

Yami's eyes darkened. "… Get out of him."

The man stared at him incredulously. "Eh?"

Something flashed sinisterly on Yami's forehead and he snarled, "_**GET OUT OF HIM**_!"

An unseen force pushed the man back, slamming him against the opposite wall with a harsh ferocity. The man crumbled to the ground, his pants falling around his knees, his shame visible for the whole world to sneer at.

Yami calmly glared at the other man who held his wrists together. "Let. Me. _Go_."

And even though Yami was still a good deal shorter than them—even though he lacked their bulk and intimidating weight—the man followed his command unbidden. He loosened his grip on Yami's wrists ever so slightly, and that was the window of opportunity the former Pharaoh needed to tear his hands away from him and send back a jaw-breaking fist to the man's unsuspecting face.

The man stumbled back with a curse and he immediately snapped out of whatever spell Yami had spun on him. The assaulter's eyes narrowed furiously and he yelled, "Damn you!" before he, stupidly, advanced Yami with his fist pulled back for a heavy punch.

"_Stay where you are!_"

The command rang clearly and true, slicing through the cold night air like a scythe to cut the man down. Dark shadows immediately surged from the walls, from the cracks in the ground, to wrap themselves around the man's arms and legs, dragging him down to his knees. The assaulter screamed out his confusion and his panic as the dark tendrils captured him, squeezed him, and pulled him down without any difficulty until his face was pressed firmly against the ground. "The fuck! What the hell is this!" the man screamed.

But Yami ignored him. Instead, he re-focused his attentions to the other man—the one who had raped Yuugi. He was slowly crawling away from him, his whole body shaking with fear. Yami cackled loudly at the sight of him, especially when he tried to pull his pants up unsuccessfully as he tried to escape. He was shaking too badly.

"Stay where you are." The rapist either didn't hear him or his fear was strong enough to disobey him. Yami gingerly reached down and pulled up his own pants and boxers, snapping his belt back into place with an audible 'clack' with habitual ease. He walked towards the crawling man calmly, easily catching up to the disgusting creature and kicking him harshly in the ribs. The force of his strike was enough to wind the rapist and turn him onto his back. Before he could move to get up, Yami slammed the heel of his shoe harshly against the man's chest, further hurting him.

"Y-You—" the man choked as he stared fearfully up into Yami's dark lavender eyes. "H-How are you…? Aren't you in _pain_?"

Yami's face twisted into a grim smile that made the man below him shudder. "Of course I am. Aside from my broken ribs, you've _raped_ this body. Of course there's pain." And then all feigned amusement vanished completely from Yami's face as he glared with dark, malicious intent down at the man. "But my wrath for you and your friend easily masks this pain. All I can think about—all I can feel—is the desire to ruin _your_ bodies just as you ruined this one; only… your bodies will be tarnished _one hundred fold_ for this crime you've made against me."

With unnatural strength, Yami grabbed the man's face and pulled him up. He slammed him harshly against the alley wall, his fingers digging into the skin deep enough to draw blood. The larger man's hands immediately went to grip Yami's wrist but, strangely, he didn't have the strength to fight him off. Shadow surrounded him, wound their way around his arms, and made his body heavy with dread and fear. The whole situation frightened him, but what really petrified him most and turned his blood into ice was Yami's glowing third eye.

"And when the disgusting sack you call a body is no longer recognisable, when you're at the brink of death…" Yami whispered darkly, unrelenting in his grip and merciless in his glare, "I will cast you to an eternal prison in the Shadow Realm, where you'll experience nothing but raw and utter _fear_ for the rest of eternity."

The dark tendrils of shadow spun around them, tightening their hold around the two men. At the wish of their master, they coiled around their limbs and tightened their hold like how snakes would suffocate their prey.

Yami's eyes flashed darkly.

"_So let it be written, so shall it be done—in the name of the almighty Pharaoh."_

Then a flash—

A pair of blood-curdling screams—

The sound of tearing flesh—

Of beaten bones—

An unending flow of hot, red blood—

Reminding him of the sea—

Of a river dyed red—

And then more screams, shattering the night—

And then silence.

Blissful silence.

After all the business had been done and all the evidence washed away, Yami trudged Yuugi's broken body slowly and carefully towards the Kame Game Shop. The moment he stepped inside and saw Yuugi's grandfather, the moment their eyes connected and Yami saw the older man's gaze instantly fill with shock and worry, was when Yami allowed himself to close his eyes and gently lower himself to the ground. When he felt the old man's arms wrap around him, Yami finally let himself go and retreated back into the Millennium Puzzle.

Back to where Yuugi had hid himself in his soul room, shaking uncontrollably.

Back to where Yami had approached him, had knelt down and took the smaller boy into his arms.

Back to where Yuugi didn't even realise—or perhaps didn't want to acknowledge—that Yami was there holding him and consoling him as he whispered soft words into his ears.

Back into the Millennium Puzzle, where Yami held a broken Yuugi, where he himself could finally cry with him—

Cry tears of shame, of hatred, of disgust—

Aimed at no one—

No one but himself.

0o0

Yami made it his duty to remain in possession of Yuugi's body as it healed. Yuugi wasn't emotionally fit for the outside world yet anyway, so Yami gladly took on board the real-world aches and pains.

Of course, he'd been the one to suggest this to the younger boy in the first place.

When Yuugi had made no indication that he was going to leave his soul room any time soon, Yami had quietly offered to take his place in reality. Yuugi hadn't verbally responded to him—he wouldn't talk to him—so Yami interpreted that as an affirmative to his suggestion. Yami had missed, or had chosen to ignore, the dull, pointed, barely accusing look Yuugi had given him just before the spirit had left to perform his duties.

It was a strange look that twisted Yami's gut but he banished the memory to the deepest parts of his mind.

So there he was, lying in the hospital bed, quiet and still as he watched time go by—literally. He was watching as the third hand of an ancient, circular clock on the wall opposite him travelled its measured distance of sixty seconds. It was better to empty his mind with such a tedious thing than to let it wander into deeper, darker territories.

'_It's almost time for my meal,'_ Yami idly thought as he waited for the minute hand to strike the large numerals of one and two. He slowly moved his head to the side to gaze out the open window. The movement brought him mild pain, but he told himself that it was worth it to see the bright, blue sky of the outdoors. It looked like a good day.

Then, three minutes earlier than usual, the door to his ward slid open and Yami glanced at the nurse that entered the room. She was carrying his tray of assorted meals that people could only ever find in a hospital—with good reason. "Good afternoon, Yuugi," the nurse said with a gentle smile. She placed the tray over him gingerly. "We've got pumpkin soup and mashed potato and carrots for you today. Make sure to eat it all, okay?"

Yami knew better than to nod, so he simply stared at her without his usual glare.

The nurse smiled. "Also, I bumped into a few of your friends out in the waiting rooms. They wanted to see you, and I told them that since you were awake this time, they were more than welcome to."

Yami visibly paled and he mentally cursed.

He'd been trying to avoid a confrontation with their friends—mainly by pretending to be asleep after school hours so that they'd be forced to leave, or they talked over his 'sleeping' body and Yami could eavesdrop on their worried and infuriated conversations. It was too late when Yami remembered that today was a half-day and he silently groaned.

They meant well, but he knew that they would be full of… _questions_. And Yami knew that he wouldn't appreciate their prying today, or any other day in the near future for that matter.

But it was already too late, he'd been found out, and the sliding door to his ward slammed open to reveal the noisy trio that immediately rushed to his bedside, an inevitable string of words from three different sources cascading into his ears in one big incoherent mess.

"Yuugi! You're finally awake! You have no idea how worried we've been about you—" Anzu cried.

"You look like a frickin' mummy! Spill it, right now, about how did this to you and I _swear_ I'll find them and—" Jounouchi growled.

"How could this happen to you, Yuugi? Who did you get into a fight with? Couldn't the Pharaoh handle it—?" came Honda's frustrated voice.

Yami resisted the urge to reach up and rub his temples. He glanced at the nurse again and she seemed to understand his silent demand.

"Please keep it quiet," she told his friends in that calm, controlled manner. She seemed unperturbed by their casual remarks of Pharaohs and spirits. "Remember where you are. If you can do that, then I'll leave you four alone." When the students looked away in guilt, saying nothing, the nurse smiled again. "Good. Then I'll be leaving."

And when she was finally gone from the ward room, the three immediately began their interrogation. Yami wondered if it was a mistake to send her out.

Anzu was the first to take over the conversation with the natural authority of being the second-leader of the group (which was a debatable topic among the three). "Yuugi…" Then, noticing Yami's indifferent gaze, she corrected, "Pharaoh. What happened?"

The three stared at him pointedly, demanding answers, and Yami regarded them with the coolness of one who was utterly in control. "Yuugi had seen a girl being molested in a park by two men and, although he had managed to save her, he wasn't quick enough to run away himself." Yami managed a small shrug. "He got a beating for his efforts."

The three were surprised by the almost uncaring way Yami had recounted the events.

Jounouchi scowled and abruptly fell on one of the hospital chairs next to the bed. He rested his arms on the back rest and stared at Yami with a mild glare. "He got beaten up pretty bad," he quipped tonelessly.

Yami lifted a well-placed eyebrow. "That he did," he agreed, wondering where the young man was going with this. He wondered if he knew what _else_ had happened to Yuugi—he wondered idly if the doctors had even told his grandfather.

"Where were you?"

It was a question that Yami had prepared himself for, but his body still stiffened all the same as a particular coldness took over him. "Yuugi had forgotten the Puzzle," Yami intoned indifferently. "I was—"

"No, he hadn't," Honda interrupted with a frown. He lifted a finger and pointed it up to the ceiling. "Yuugi hasn't ever forgotten the Puzzle except for that one day, and that was a few days before… we found out about what happened to you—er, him, whatever."

They were all frowning at him now and even though they tried to bury it, Yami could clearly see the suspicion lurking in their eyes. "Yuugi had been acting really strangely ever since that one day he forgot the Puzzle," Anzu supplied slowly. "He was really quiet and seemed upset for days. Did you two… have a fight?"

Even if Yami had been inclined to answer (which he hadn't), he didn't even have the chance to. Jounouchi had suddenly stood up and grabbed Yami's collar, shaking him slightly with a restrained fury. "It doesn't matter if you two had a fight or not!" he yelled in Yami's face, his rage clouding his eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you! Why didn't you stop this from happening to Yuugi?"

Honda suddenly moved forwards to wrap a restraining arm around Jounouchi's shoulders. "Hey! Jounouchi! Chill!"

"No! Something fishy is going on and I want answers!" He glared directly into Yami's eyes and the spirit glared furiously back. "Yuugi had the Puzzle with him that day. You were with him. _Why didn't you save him_?"

Yami didn't want to explain himself—he knew that none of these people would understand. He knew that _Yuugi_ didn't even understand him, so what hope did they have? "Unhand me," he instead whispered. "Remember whose body you're actually hurting."

As if stung, Jounouchi immediately let go and took a step back. He scowled deeply. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself, huh?"

A tense silence descended upon them, each of his friends staring at him with a mixture of concern, rage, and suspicion. Even Anzu was regarding him carefully with a frown. Yami closed his eyes for the briefest of moments before he said coldly, "It's as I've said. Yuugi had forgotten the Puzzle, and he had all but said that he didn't need my protection. I was only respecting his wishes."

Jounouchi looked just about to strangle him, regardless of whether it was Yuugi's body or not. The trio's expressions were mirror images of each other: they were all appalled. "You bastard!" he screamed, reaching out to grab Yami again. He was barely stopped by Honda. "What kind of petty, lame-ass, retarded excuse is _that_?"

"Don't be so infuriated, Jounouchi. Yuugi's had beatings like this before, if my memory's correct. This isn't new," Yami stated. Judging from the reluctant agreement on their faces, Yami could conclude that they didn't know about the rape. He was secretly glad for that; otherwise, Jounouchi might have actually tried to strangle him—with the support of the others as well. "Besides," he continued coldly, "Yuugi's _strong_. This is nothing for him."

They missed the dark undertones in his voice.

"Then why are you out here?" Anzu whispered quietly. She knew there was something else—something the former Pharaoh wasn't telling them—but she knew deep in her gut that he wasn't going to confide in them... Just like how Yuugi hadn't shared his troubles with the Pharaoh with them before, either. "Why isn't Yuugi in control?"

Yami made an uncommitted sound at the back of his throat, and said nothing else.

Their conversation died into an awkward, uncomfortable silence. The three were still shocked about the Pharaoh's callous attitude and his apparent _choice_ to let Yuugi get beaten up. They didn't know what to do. Even though Jounouchi wanted to punch the indifferent man in the face, he stopped himself from doing so. That wasn't going to help Yuugi in the slightest and it would only bring him more pain when he decided to take back control over his body.

What was wrong with the former Pharaoh?

What had he become, to treat Yuugi so coldly?

The fact that the Pharaoh had _let_ these things happen to Yuugi…

Did that now make him their enemy?

They couldn't quite grasp that concept and it left them in a state of confusion and bewilderment.

Finally, with his hands fisted, Jounouchi growled, "Tell us who did this to Yuugi. We'll hunt them down and make them _pay_."

Yami's eyes flashed darkly and he offered them a small, grim smile that made the three shiver in discomfort. "No need, Jounouchi. They've already been taken care of."

He didn't know whether his remark made them feel better, or made them feel worse—truthfully, he didn't really care.

Meanwhile, the others were thrown into a messier state of confusion.

So…

In the end, the former Pharaoh had protected Yuugi after all?

He just wanted Yuugi to be punished a little—was that it?

The thought made them uneasy and sick to the stomach—

And Yami was suddenly tired of their faces.

"Please leave," he said, trying not to sound exasperated. He looked away from them. "I'd like to rest now."

The three stiffened for a moment before each of them nodded slowly. They didn't see the point of staying—not when the former Pharaoh was like this, not when the one they truly wanted to speak to wasn't even conscious, not really—

Not when they were in a state of disbelief at Yami's twisted cruelty.

They needed some air, some time to think, before they confronted the matter again. They felt like they were treading on thin ice and one wrong move could harm each of them—including Yuugi—deeply. (Besides, even though Jounouchi wanted to sock Yami in the face, he couldn't exactly do that, now could he?)

"Right. Well." Anzu shifted on her feet, her hands clasped nervously behind her back. She suddenly had a painful desire to see Yuugi—the bright and happy and cheerful Yuugi—but she squashed the feeling down. Her saying something like that wasn't going to help, not now. "We'll go then, Pharaoh. Um, we hope you get well soon… and please tell Yuugi that we're worried about him, and that we hope he's feeling alright. We're here if he ever needs us."

Yami hummed and closed his eyes. He'd had enough of their company—and he made that perfectly clear.

He didn't watch as they left the room, Jounouchi being the loudest of all with his indignant stomps, and listened as the sliding door closed firmly behind them. Only in the silence did he finally open his eyes again to gaze out that open window, his food tray forgotten on his lap.

He wondered briefly whether he had just tarnished his once easy friendship with the three, tainted it with suspicion and doubt. Then, and here's a thought that shocked him deeply, he realised that maybe, he didn't particularly _care_.

Perhaps he wanted to be alone—perhaps he should be **left** alone_._

In the dark, by himself, in complete solitude with the shadows taunting his pathetic state of being—_it was where he belonged_.

Yami's previously impassive face contorted into something foul, as if someone had just stabbed him in the chest with a knife. He abruptly reached up and pressed his knuckles against his eyes and repressed a scream that wanted to tear itself from his throat, from his very soul.

Jounouchi's words echoed hauntingly in his head—

"_What the hell is wrong with you!"_

Like a broken record that repeatedly hammered the knife into his chest—

Yami clenched his teeth, and something in his shattered, darkened soul howled—

"_**Why didn't you save him?"**_

0o0

Yami opened his eyes when he felt that someone had entered his soul room without permission. There was only one person whose mere presence could make Yami stiffen and relax at the same time.

What was Yuugi doing in here?

The young man hadn't left his soul room for days—Yami knew this, because every day he'd find Yuugi in the same position on the floor, hugging his knees tightly to his chest as he stared blankly at a tarnished wall or idly played with a broken toy. And every day, Yami made it his duty to take the little one into his arms and hold him close, trying to comfort a soul that didn't want to be comforted by _him_ of all people. But still, Yami persisted, and even though Yuugi was silent and unresponsive to him, he didn't hold it against the little one.

He noticed Yuugi's presence in his soul room the moment he had chosen to leave reality to attend to his daily duties in the Puzzle. To say that he was surprised to find Yuugi already waiting for him would be a dire understatement.

"Yuugi?" he asked and he couldn't help the curious lilt to his voice. "What are you doing here?"

He tried not to be hurt by the impassive stare his light was giving him. Yuugi simply stood there, in his black, tightly-fitted shirt and blue pants, and looked at him.

When Yuugi finally spoke, Yami realised just how badly he had missed his little one's voice, as he hadn't spoken to him since… that incident. And even though the voice was soft with a splash of sorrow, Yami still craved to hear it.

"I heard… a voice in here."

Yami frowned and he crossed his arms. "What are you talking about?"

Yuugi began to walk idly away from him, pretending to examine the strange, twisted staircases when in truth he was listening—listening for that broken, shattered wail he had heard ever since he secluded himself inside the Puzzle. "There's a voice," Yuugi told the spirit in a murmur. He traced his fingers fleetingly against a stone wall. "At first, I thought it had been me. I thought it was just all in my head. But as the days went by, it became louder and louder and I realised… that it wasn't coming from me. It was coming from your soul room."

Yami watched Yuugi's movements with a glare. Something inside him tightened. "I don't know what you're talking about," he responded slowly. "There's no other voice in here but mine."

The younger man's eyes glanced towards him for a brief second before it quickly looked away. "Indeed," Yuugi muttered. More loudly, he said, "Well, anyway, I've been trying to look for it. The voice I heard… sounded like it was crying—like it was hurting. So I want to find whoever it is and comfort them."

"Well, maybe they don't want your comfort," Yami found himself snapping.

_Maybe they don't __**deserve**__ it_.

Yuugi either didn't hear the mental remark or he'd chosen to ignore it. A silence passed between them, uncomfortable and tight. Yami's arms remained folded and his hands grasped tightly at his forearms. He waited for his host to say something—_anything_—since this was the first time Yuugi had spoken to him in what seemed like centuries.

Finally, Yuugi's body seemed to sag, as if he was suddenly tired of the world. He turned his body to fully face the spirit; he held his eyes and said in a clear, firm voice that belied the emptiness of his eyes, "Apologise to me."

Yami was taken aback. He unfolded his arms and left them hanging limp at his sides. "… What?"

"Apologise to me," Yuugi repeated, holding Yami's incredulous stare. "For shouting at me. For hitting me. For abandoning me. For letting me get raped because you thought that I 'needed to learn a lesson'. For hurting me—for betraying me. Apologise, right now, mou hitori no boku."

The spirit's throat had suddenly turned dry. He felt a pounding in his head, a sudden clenching in his heart. Some part of him, some silent part he'd banished to the darkness, screamed at him to do as Yuugi said, to apologise sincerely from the bottom of his heart and beg for forgiveness—_beg for it_—because he knew that that was what Yuugi wanted and needed to hear. But this Yami, this malicious Yami who'd embraced the darkness in order to hide his weaknesses, his shame, ignored this urge and said in a cold, final voice, "**No**."

He began to pace, if only to avoid looking at Yuugi's expression. "I didn't do anything wrong," he said, a fury overtaking him. "I didn't! _You _were the one who said that I was smothering you! You were the one who said that you didn't need my protection. You pushed me away even though I didn't want to do anything but protect you. No, I won't apologise. I won't." His eyes flashed darkly at Yuugi's direction. "Take some responsibility for your own actions, Yuugi. You got what you wanted—_every choice had been your own, and every shortcoming your own weakness_—and if anyone's to blame here, it's you."

By the end of his rant, he was panting heavily, glaring angrily at his little one.

Yuugi shifted his eyes away. He was quiet for a moment as the last of Yami's words echoed heavily around the labyrinth that was his soul room. Finally, Yuugi spoke. He said quietly, yet with a surge of emotion that once again took Yami by surprise, "I'm so angry with you."

Yami frowned but before he could say anything, Yuugi continued. The boy's eyes were downcast but his hands had clenched themselves into tight fists by his sides. "You're acting like a complete idiot. Don't you even care about what I'm feeling anymore?"

The questioned appalled the spirit, made him want to wretch. "Of course! Yuugi, you're the only one I actually _do—_"

"Then why did you ignore me when I was screaming out your name?" Yuugi abruptly shouted. He looked up to glare at Yami directly, ignoring the tears that suddenly misted his vision. His whole body was shaking. He transformed all the fear and the hurt that had accumulated inside his soul these past few days into rage. "Why did you wait until I was unconscious before you actually decided to help me? Why did you leave me alone, as if you were actually _punishing_ me?" His tears spilled bitterly down his face. "If you really cared, then why did you abandon me?"

Yami pursed his lips. He returned Yuugi's gaze with an expression of such pain, such hurt, that outsiders would've wondered who was the _real_ victim here.

No response, and then—

"No, Yuugi," Yami softly spoke.

"_You_ were the one who abandoned _me_."

And somehow, Yuugi knew that the spirit wasn't talking about that day he'd forgotten the Puzzle in his room as he went to school. No, deep down in his gut, he knew he wasn't referring to that. The hot, empowered flame of his anger snuffed out instantly in the face of the words that escaped Yami's mouth in a slightly shaking breath.

"It was by your own actions—by your own self-righteous need to play the _hero_—that made me turn into the monster that I am. You didn't save me that day, Yuugi. _You shredded me to pieces_."

Yuugi felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"And never once…" Yami whispered, "did you say _sorry_."

And then the spirit was gone, abruptly ending their conversation, and Yuugi was left alone in the labyrinth that had trembled—just slightly—at the spirit's parting words.

0o0

Yami didn't return the next day, or the day after that. He didn't come into Yuugi's soul room to comfort the youth like he had been doing before. Instead, Yuugi was left alone in his tarnished soul room, trying to pick up the pieces.

Yuugi preferred staying in the Puzzle. In the Puzzle, Yuugi had no need for sleep. Because he didn't need sleep, he was able to consciously repress the disgusting, unwanted memories of that evening where everything seemed to violently change, to crumble—he was able to preoccupy his mind with other things, like trying to fix up the state of his soul room.

But sometimes, when even Yuugi's mind got tired, he'd find himself reliving those memories in that alleyway. The two faces of those men would come unbidden into his mind's eye and he would remember, unwittingly, their harsh hands and their bruising fists. He'd remember the way they dragged him deeper into the shadows; he'd find himself reliving the feeling of when they grabbed his wrists and groped his waist, finally unbuckling his belt despite his sobs and his protests and his screams as they—

Yuugi collapsed to a ball on the floor and curled into himself again, wrapping his arms around his knees as he pulled them tightly against his chest. He closed his eyes shut and whimpered, willing the memories to go away—willing the pain to disappear—but it was still so raw and scathing and he could still feel the **fear** from that night running through his veins and consuming his mind as if it was happening all over again—_it was happening all over again_—

And Yami wasn't coming for him—

He wasn't here—

Even though he was screaming out his name—

_**He wasn't coming to save him**_—

And then, cutting through the dense, painful haze of his memories, was a shout, a wail, and it sounded so desperate and sad that it made Yuugi's eyes snap wide open.

"_**Yuugi**__!"_

Yuugi immediately sat up, roughly wiping away the tears that had dribbled down his face. It was that voice again.

The cry was abruptly silenced and Yuugi stood on shaky legs. "Where are you?" he whispered. "I'm not imagining you, am I?"

The voice sounded so familiar that Yuugi _knew_ who it belonged to. He knew. But if his gut was correct, then why was…?

"_**Aibou**__!"_

It was impulsive, really—the way Yuugi had immediately responded to the call. He bolted out of his soul room and ran into the hallway. He didn't hesitate when he pulled the giant door to Yami's soul room open and slipped hastily inside.

"_**Aibou**__!"_

Yuugi could hear the sorrow in the scream, could hear the desperateness and pain. He wondered if it was possible to believe that a voice can sound bruised.

He looked around the labyrinth, trying to pinpoint the sound. Even though he knew that it was a bad idea, he let his feet take him wherever they wished as he tried to find the owner of that voice. He'd risk getting himself lost in this forsaken maze, if only to find him.

"_**Aibou**__!"_

He slammed every door he passed open, ran up staircases and walked across walls. A desperate need took over him and a strange sort of frustration. "Where are you?" he whispered beneath his breath, eyes shifting wildly around him. "Where are you?"

"_**Aibou**__!"_

The voice was everywhere—it echoed around him hauntingly, came from multiple directions, and Yuugi couldn't help but feel dizzy and disorientated. He reached up and clasped his hands over his ears, his eyes squeezing shut as he seemed to sway on his feet.

"_**Aibou**__…"_

The voice was quieter now and Yuugi opened his eyes sharply. "No, don't fade," he found himself saying as he took one shaky step forward. He stopped, turned around, took another step in another direction, but he really didn't know where to go—

He didn't know how to find him.

"… _**Aibou…**__"_

"Mou hitori no boku…" Yuugi cried as tears once again slipped from his eyes.

"… _**I'm sorry.**__" _

Yuugi crumbled to his knees and wrapped his arms around his stomach. He pressed his forehead against the cold floor of the labyrinth and despaired at the sudden silence. It was a bruised silence, sore and empty and full of pain that just ached to be nursed, to be healed, but Yuugi didn't know how to do that—he didn't know.

As his tears slipped to pool on the floor, he whispered, "Yami… where are you?"

0o0

Chapter Two: End.

0o0


	3. Beckoning

**Broken Hero**

0o0

Chapter Three: Beckoning

0o0

_Again, thank you to all my supporters—the reviewers especially. It means a lot to hear from you!_

0o0

It was Yuugi's final day in the hospital and this time, he was the one in control of his body.

His grandfather noticed this and pulled up a chair to the hospital bed. He sat down and sighed heavily, gently taking his grandson's hand into his own. Yuugi shifted his gaze from the window to look at him, feeling a deep pain in his chest when he saw the sadness in his grandfather's eyes.

"It's good to finally see you again, Yuugi," his grandfather mumbled, squeezing Yuugi's hand just a little tighter. "I was wondering if you were ever going to come back."

Yuugi squeezed back. "I'm sorry, grandpa," he whispered, his amethyst-coloured eyes slightly moist. But he wouldn't cry. He was too emotionally exhausted to cry. He just wanted to stand, to leave this place, and run together with his friends as they played a game of tag or chased each other for food. He wanted to playfully wrestle with Jounouchi; he wanted to exchange jokes with Honda—he wanted to see Anzu and talk to her about all the little, irrelevant things that somehow made him happy all the same. He didn't want to cry anymore—

But ever since that disastrous day, when did he ever stop?

"I know…" his grandfather started, but he stalled abruptly. He coughed into his free hand and tried again. "I know… what happened to you that night, Yuugi. The doctors told me and… and I'm sure it'll ease your mind, even a little, to know that there hasn't been any permanent physical damage. You haven't contracted anything like HIV or Herpes, thank goodness. But I know it wasn't only physical damage that was done." His hold on Yuugi's small, pale hand was like a death-grip. "If you think you need to talk to someone about anything, then I'll arrange a therapist for you."

Even though his grandfather's words were spoken in a slight monotone, his carefully controlled face seemed to break the moment Yuugi responded, "No, I'm fine, grandpa. You don't need to worry about me."

Yuugi's soft voice, the way his eyes were glazed over as if he wasn't exactly _there_, seemed to shatter the old man's heart. He suddenly stood up and embraced the youth, wrapping his arms as tightly around him as physically possible without choking him. Yuugi instinctively returned the embrace, feeling his grandfather's tears on his neck.

"Oh, my poor boy, my poor boy," his grandfather cried, clinging onto Yuugi as if he'd never let go.

The young duellist gently rubbed circles on the old man's back. "Shh, it's okay, grandpa," he whispered kindly. "I'm alright, see? At least I'm not dead. At least I still have a soul in this body." He managed a weak grin that Sugoroku couldn't see—which was just as well, because he would've despaired at how the smile didn't reach his eyes. "At least I'm alive, grandpa, and I still have you and everyone else. I'm lucky, and I'm happy. Please don't cry."

The fact that the young man was still so positive, however, seemed to backfire. Sugoroku only sobbed harder and Yuugi could do nothing but hold and comfort him.

The younger man wondered if perhaps he shouldn't have been so optimistic.

He wondered if perhaps he should've been truthful with his grandfather instead—

To let him know how much emotional pain he was in, even when all the physical pain was gone.

But he remained silent and continued to rub circles on his back. No, he wasn't ready yet.

He wasn't ready to confess.

0o0

Yuugi wasn't stupid. Even though in normal people's logic, something like this was completely impossible, Yuugi didn't exactly live a normal life, did he?

Even though the spirit had refused to talk to him after that day, Yuugi could still piece together what was happening. He could do this, because the idea was just so ridiculous that _of course_ Yami would do something as outrageous as this. The thing about being possessed by an eccentric spirit was that Yuugi's wildest theories and ideas weren't actually that improbable at all when it concerned said spirit's behaviour and thought patterns.

But still. He needed confirmation from someone else because he knew that he couldn't handle this alone. He wondered if he could even trust himself on this matter because he damn well knew that he wasn't exactly in the best of mind frames.

In the safety of his bedroom, Yuugi reached for his phone and sat down on the bed. He called Anzu from its speed dial.

She picked up on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Anzu, it's me, Yuugi," the youth said, trying to force a light lilt to his voice. As he talked, his free hand clenched tightly on his lap. "Sorry for disturbing you. Are you busy?"

"Oh, Yuugi!" Immediately, her voice changed. It became excited, more concerned, and much, much more eager to please and make her friend happy. "No, you weren't disturbing me at all! I was just watching the Saturday night movie rerun, so no problem." Yuugi heard a click and he could tell that she'd shut her television off. "What is it, Yuugi? Something the matter? Did I accidentally leave something at your house today?"

Ever since his release from the hospital three days ago, the three had visited Yuugi after school without fail to play games and cheer him up. Yuugi himself hadn't felt mentally well enough to go out by himself yet, even to go to school. He was ridden with anxiety and even the slightest shout from a stranger or a small conflict on the streets made him fearful.

He was ashamed to admit it—he hated being so cowardly—but with the way the spirit wasn't talking to him, added to his reoccurring dreams which he wished were _just_ nightmares, he just couldn't help it.

And even though his friends didn't know the full story (they were suspecting that this attack had been slightly more than just a random beating), they seemed to understand his need for emotional support. He loved them dearly for it.

"No, you didn't leave anything behind," Yuugi said in a whisper. Then in a louder voice, he said, "I just needed some advice on something, Anzu."

There was a shifting on the other side of the phone and Yuugi imagined that the girl had made herself comfortable on a chair or bed. "Advice? Well, I'll try my best." There was a short pause. Then Anzu said quietly, "Is this about the spirit, Yuugi?"

Unwittingly, Yuugi's breath noticeably hitched in his throat, and that was all the confirmation Anzu seemed to need.

"What's going on, Yuugi? He didn't save you from the attack—he even admitted that himself! Why's he acting this way?"

Anzu's voice sounded worried, slightly hysterical even, but Yuugi also detected a tone of anger. It made him warm inside, even though he knew it wasn't good to be feeling like that. "It's a little… complicated. I mean, I don't really even understand it all myself," he confessed.

"Well, just tell me all that you can. You've been keeping this from us for weeks, Yuugi. Perhaps it'll be good if you just let it all out."

Yuugi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He refused to look at the Millennium Puzzle that rested innocently on his study desk. "Remember that day I forgot the Puzzle?" he began. There was a confirming noise from Anzu's end and he continued. "Well, when I got home, Yami was mad. Like, _really_ mad. He was furious about how I'd forgotten about the Puzzle—about _him_—and he started shouting at me. I kind of shouted back, because I got really angry about all the stuff he said, and it kind of… just went out of hand. He was really angry because I'd forgotten the Puzzle and hence he couldn't protect me, and I got angry because it seemed like he couldn't trust me to protect myself at the best of times."

"Yeah, the Pharaoh did say something like that when we went to visit you—him," Anzu muttered. "He said that you told him that you didn't need protection… so he just let whatever was happening to you… happen to you." Even Yuugi could feel the frown creasing her face. "It… doesn't sound right to me, Yuugi. It kind of makes me… sick to think about, that the Pharaoh would let you get hurt just because he was holding a grudge."

Yuugi shifted on his bed uncomfortably, his hands getting slightly sweaty. "Ah, well, never mind that, Anzu." He suddenly didn't know how to carry on this conversation, or what exactly he was trying to achieve. He even wondered if he should take the conversation into another room, just in case Yami was eavesdropping. But somehow, he couldn't seem to move. He couldn't find it in himself to abandon the Puzzle here just to talk about the former Pharaoh behind his back, and besides, he couldn't sense Yami's presence at all. "But, um, perhaps you can… maybe tell me about what happened to the Pharaoh… after I was taken away by Dartz," he finally grumbled.

There was a short pause. "Eh? Why?" Anzu asked, suddenly confused. "What does this have to do with anything about the Pharaoh's behaviour?"

"Please, Anzu."

Another short pause, and when Anzu spoke next, her voice had lost that confusion to be replaced by sadness. "It wasn't pretty, Yuugi. You should've seen him. I've never seen the Pharaoh like that before." Yuugi imagined her flailing her hand around as she tried to articulate her story. "He was just so _angry_. I was truthfully and sincerely scared. He just seemed to have… _died_, or become a demon, or _something_. The fact that you sacrificed yourself for his mistake… really seemed to do a number on him."

Something in Yuugi's chest clenched painfully. "Ah."

Anzu took that as a sign to continue. "He never smiled and if he did, it was one full of pain. Sometimes, we had to actually _force_ him to eat. He was so depressed, so broken, and it kind of broke my heart to see him like that too. I mean, when you were taken away, Yuugi, I—" Her voice stalled for just a moment before she calmed down and said again, "I and the rest of us were really worried and depressed too. But the Pharaoh took it the worst—it was… scary. It really was like he'd lost the other half of his soul—the bright and happy side—and nothing seemed to comfort him in the time that you were away. Nothing, even though we really did try."

Yuugi pressed a knuckle to his eyes in efforts to keep from crying. He never knew. He didn't know how much pain Yami had been in. When his soul was captured by Dartz, all he experienced was a state of limbo—he couldn't feel anything other than a small tug of irritating consciousness, this feeling that he was waiting for someone, that he wasn't meant to be here. But he wasn't suffering. He wasn't in pain. It was more like a lucid dream, breaking only occasionally, until it was finally over and he was back with Yami again.

He never knew… or even considered… the full capacity of how their separation had affected _Yami_.

Yami, who had been conscious of every single moment and was aware of how slowly the time passed in solitude.

"I think…" Yuugi started, and he had to cough to fix the sound of his voice since his throat had suddenly turned dry. "I think… that the Pharaoh got really mad at me that day I forgot the Puzzle… because it hindered his duty to protect me."

Anzu didn't say anything in response immediately, but when she did her tone was patient, "But then Yuugi, why would he let you get hurt? That doesn't sound like the role of a protector to me."

Yuugi squirmed just slightly on the bed. His hands really were quite sweaty now. "It sounds really crazy," he suddenly blurted, "but I think that Yami has split his soul into two."

There was a wave of stunned silence, which Yuugi immediately began to fill. "I told you about how there are rooms in the Millennium Puzzle, right, Anzu? How these rooms are me and Yami's soul rooms? Well, you've noticed that it was usually the Pharaoh who was awake during the time I spent in the hospital, right? That meant I spent a lot of time in the Puzzle, and in there, I kept hearing this voice." Yuugi squeezed his eyes shut. "It was… a really pained and lonely voice. It was Yami's, but at the same time, it wasn't Yami. I think… that maybe… the voice I heard inside the Puzzle… is the voice of the Yami who I had left behind that day when the Seal of Orichalcos took my soul away."

There was a heavy and tense silence which seemed to stretch on for hours. Yuugi felt himself sweat and suddenly, he felt nauseous. "Is that…" Anzu began hesitantly, "possible?"

Yuugi rubbed his temple with his fingers. "I… don't know," he admitted. "I just know that there's another voice inside the Puzzle… and it's calling out to me."

"… Whoever it is, they probably need you, Yuugi," Anzu finally said quietly. "I'm not too sure about all this mystical stuff about splitting souls or whatever, but you know the Pharaoh best." Yuugi felt the gentle smile on her face, even though that was rather impossible to know. "The Pharaoh sounds like he's in trouble again, Yuugi. You're probably the only one who can help him out, and I know you can do it." She managed a short laugh. "I mean, after that whole thing with the Seal of Orichalcos taking your soul away, I think we all know that he's pretty much hopeless without you."

Yuugi shared her laugh, even though the sounds coming from his mouth were dry and humourless. "Right. I'll definitely try to sort things out with him then. Thank you, Anzu."

"Think nothing of it," his friend said quickly. "I mean, I don't think I even helped much anyway."

"No, you definitely did," Yuugi whispered.

"Well, if that's how you feel, then it was my pleasure to help." Yuugi could feel Anzu's smile again. "Is that all you wanted to talk about, Yuugi?"

"… Yes," he answered slowly. "I think… I'll go talk to him now."

"That's good. Good luck. I hope you guys can sort things out, because really—when you two are fighting, it affects the whole group in a very bad way," she ribbed good-naturedly.

Yuugi managed a small chuckle. "Right."

"Okay, goodnight then, Yuugi. Let me know if you want to talk again, okay? About anything."

"Okay."

"Good. Then—"

"Anzu?" Yuugi interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"… I'm sorry."

There was a silence, and then a shaky intake of breath. Yuugi hoped that Anzu wasn't crying. "It's okay, Yuugi," she finally answered, her voice soft and just slightly trembling. "What matters is that you're back with us. You did what you thought was the right thing to do, so we can't blame you. It was… just hard on all of us, you know?"

Yuugi closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

If Anzu was talking to Yuugi face-to-face, she probably would have embraced him in a tight hug just then. "I forgive you. I just don't want to think about what would've happened if you really were gone. You and the Pharaoh both—you guys can be really reckless, you know?"

Yuugi smiled dryly. "Yes, I know." Then there was a short silence, before Yuugi said, "Goodnight, Anzu, and thanks."

Anzu's voice was quiet as she replied, "No problem, Yuugi. Goodnight, and good luck."

Yuugi ended the call first and let his hand drop limply to his side.

He stared at the Puzzle resting innocently on his desk. For some reason, Yuugi's chest became even heavier at the sight of the golden artefact.

Anzu's recount of how Yami reacted when he was taken away seemed to open Yuugi's eyes, if only just slightly.

He'd never… considered the former Pharaoh's feelings before.

When he came back, he just assumed… that everything was okay, that everything had been healed.

What a fool he was.

He stood up and gently lifted the Puzzle into his hands. The item was cold. He walked back to his bed and sat down, feeling the mattress sink beneath his weight. He closed his eyes, and almost instantly, he was whisked away from his bedroom and was transported to a place where he could finally see the former Pharaoh's face—

And attempt to reconcile both their pains.

0o0

Thankfully, the Puzzle had been merciful and had actually sent Yuugi directly into Yami's soul room. If he'd been put into his own soul room, or even out in the 'hallway', he definitely wouldn't have been able to talk with Yami. He knew in his heart that the spirit wouldn't have opened the door even if he had knocked.

Yuugi looked around nervously, trying to find the spirit. Truthfully, even though he had made up his mind to settle things with his guardian, he still felt quite sick about the thought of seeing him again. He didn't know how to act around him anymore; should he be angry with him? Should he feel repentant about all the pain he didn't know he'd caused him? Should he just give him the cold shoulder, or lash out at him with righteous fury? Should he be demanding or should he cry?

Well, Yuugi probably had no way of knowing what he'd do once he saw the spirit again. He'd just take whatever happened in his stride.

A key component to all this, however, was that voice.

Yuugi wanted—no, _needed_ to find that voice.

"Where are you?" he whispered, wondering if that hidden Yami could hear him—he knew the voice belonged to Yami, even if only a small part of him, although he had no possible way of knowing that right now. "Yami? Let me find you."

When the cold, lonely silence of the labyrinth was his only answer, Yuugi closed his eyes tightly and clenched his hands. _'Please,'_ he thought, trying to reach out to him with their mental link. _'Please, Yami. I want to help you. I… I want to… apologise.'_

There was still nothing, but Yuugi persisted. He tried not to cry at the sudden pain in his throat and the terrible ache in his heart.

'_Yami. I can hear you. I've heard you. And I'm here. I'm here.'_

'_You're… not alone anymore.'_

Then there was a shift in the air—not quite a wind, but a difference all the same—and Yuugi opened his eyes slowly. He heard Yami's voice in his head, calling out to him imploringly.

'_**Aibou…'**_

Yuugi didn't know where the voice was coming from but he still let his feet take him wherever they wished. He carefully emptied out his mind and simply searched for the voice with his heart.

'_**Aibou… Don't come…'**_

He didn't reply. He was concentrating too much with keeping his mind blank. He continued to walk, although he didn't know where, but he felt like it was the right way to go.

'_**I don't… I'm sorry…'**_

With every step, it seemed like his chest was getting heavier, but Yuugi ignored it. He would find that voice. He would.

'_**I… failed. I failed… I couldn't protect you… my own precious aibou…'**_

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Yuugi finally found himself standing in front of a huge stone. Yuugi blinked and then realised that this stone… was barricading his way to a door.

'_**Don't come… Please… I'm sorry…'**_

Yuugi didn't know how he knew that there was a door behind this stone, but he did. The voice was louder here, he could hear it more clearly, and he could _sense_ someone just on the other side of this stupid wall. He walked over to the side of the stone, pressed his hands against it, and started to push.

'… _**Aibou…'**_

'_Don't worry,'_ he finally answered, pushing with all his might. Damn, even though this was supposed to be a non-physical realm, the stone was heavy! _'I'm here, mou hitori no boku. I'm going to get you out.'_

'_**No!'**_ came the answering shout, and Yuugi's hands almost slipped off the stone in surprise. _**'I couldn't protect you—I couldn't. I made… such a terrible mistake… and it put you in so much danger. I don't… deserve to be let free.'**_

'_And you think the part of you running around right now is better?'_ Yuugi heard himself snapping. Using his sudden anger as a fuel, Yuugi pushed even harder. He felt the stone give way and this only escalated his efforts. _'Did you know what he did?'_

Through their mental link, Yuugi felt that hidden Yami recoil in pain. Instantly, Yuugi's anger dissipated, but he still didn't stop pushing.

'… _**I'm sorry. I'm sorry.'**_

Finally, the stone rolled away just enough for Yuugi to see the metal handle of the door that was hidden behind it. He let go and wiped the sweat from his brow. He could hear the voice more loudly now and it repeated its apologies as if it were a broken record. Yuugi didn't answer it—he'd answer the voice as soon as he saw the owner of it.

He walked forward, grasped the handle, and almost recoiled at the coldness of the metal. He could sense a darkness inside this room—heavy and malicious—and suddenly, Yuugi second-guessed the wisdom of entering here alone.

But if he didn't go in now, when would he ever?

He frowned and tightened his hand around the handle. Then he pushed, opened the door, and strode inside.

The first thing he noticed was the _blackness. _

Then he noticed the coldness.

And then he noticed the sobs.

"Yami?"

His voice echoed eerily in the black room, stretching on and on to the point where Yuugi wondered how large this room really was. Otherwise, he wondered if it was actually a very small room but the acoustics were just unnatural, which was entirely plausible too. His vision had been rendered entirely useless and he had to stretch out his hands the further he shifted into the room. He could feel something sinister in here, something dark and dangerous, but nevertheless he was drawn to the painful cries of a person he could not see.

"Yami?"

"_**Aibou… don't come closer…"**_

Yuugi immediately turned his head towards the voice and started to advance in its direction, his hands outstretched. "Yami, where are you? Keep talking to me."

"_**No… aibou… Don't…"**_

Even though they were whimpers that seemed to shatter his heart with every word, Yuugi persisted with a fiery resolve. He collapsed on his knees when he thought he was close enough and started to blindly reach out with his hands. For some reason, he thought that the owner of the voice was sitting down with his knees pulled up against his chest and his arms hugging them closely. Yuugi was familiar with the position.

"I've got something to say to you, mou hitori no boku," he spoke softly, still crawling. The air in this room was absolutely _suffocating_. "I…"

And then he felt something brush against his legs and he almost jumped up straight to his feet. Yuugi suddenly broke out into a cold sweat, his heart hammering fearfully inside its ribcage. Of course, that was the danger he was feeling all along—there was shadow magic at work in here.

"_**Please, aibou, leave me alone. I… I won't go out. I cannot… allow it. It's for your own protection… I can't…"**_

The voice snapped him out of his fearful state. Yuugi steeled his heart and once again started to search. "If you wanted me to leave you alone, mou hitori no boku, then why did you shout out for me?" he asked impatiently, still moving his hands around to find him. "If you didn't want me here, then why did you call out with a voice full of pain? Why did you lead me here?" Then he felt something, a fabric. It felt like the bottom of someone's pants. Yuugi's eyes softened. _'Found you.'_

He slowly crawled up towards him, moving his hand gently up the leg. "You know I wouldn't ignore something like that," he said softly, finally sitting up by the person's side. He wrapped his arms around the stiff yet shivering form who had curled himself up into a ball. "Mou hitori no boku… If you ever need me… don't you know that I'll always come?"

There was no doubt about it. The person he was holding in his arms was his Yami; no one else's form fit so perfectly in his embrace. There was suddenly a wail, deep and long and utterly heart-shattering, and Yuugi almost cried himself when he felt Yami's arms encircle him in the darkness.

"_**Aibou… You're here… You're okay…"**_

"Yes," Yuugi whispered, his hold tightening around the pained former Pharaoh's spirit. This Yami's pain was so strong that it oozed into Yuugi like an infection. At least, now that he was in contact with him, the shadows had decided to leave them alone. Yuugi's eyes finally adjusted and he looked at him—looked at this Yami—and realised with uncanny clarity that even though he looked exactly like Yami, he knew that he wasn't.

The one he held in his arms was just a fragment—

A small piece—

A part of the whole Yami…

That he decided to cast and lock away inside a cold and lonely tomb.

"Why?" Yuugi whispered.

The fragment Yami gazed into his eyes with a look of such sorrow and shame that it very nearly trampled on Yuugi's already breaking heart. _**"I am… a nuisance," **_he said, and his lips barely moved. _**"I… I am the weakness. I am what hinders my duty to protect you."**_

The fragment Yami closed his eyes tightly and held Yuugi closer to him. He bowed his head and pressed it against the smaller man's chest. The fragment was cold and he was shivering. Yuugi tightened his embrace in efforts to make him warmer.

"_**I want to protect you," **_the fragment spoke softly. _**"With my whole heart, I want to keep you safe. So I… I was cast here, abandoned. Because I can't do that. Not with me—I can't keep you safe."**_

Yuugi couldn't understand the fragment's ramblings. He absently stroked his back, soothing him just like how he tried to soothe his grandfather that one morning in the hospital. "Who are you?" he asked gently. "What fragment of Yami's soul do you represent?"

"_**Kindness,"**_ the fragment immediately answered. _**"Leniency. Mercy. Compassion. Patience. I represent all these things—and for that, I am banished into the darkness."**_

Yuugi frowned and opened his mouth to speak. But apparently, even this fragment of Yami's soul was aware of what he was thinking and looked up to meet his eyes, silencing him. Indeed, this really was just a fragment—Yami's usually strong, dark lavender eyes were dulled, almost grey, and it hurt Yuugi's heart to see it so.

"_**I am weak. Without me… I can protect you more capably, aibou."**_

There was a spark of annoyance that ignited within Yuugi. He narrowed his eyes at the fragment and was irritated even further when the Yami doppelganger didn't flinch. "Do you hear yourself?" Yuugi asked and it was almost a growl. "You know what happened, didn't you? About how you didn't save me and let me get… _raped_? How is that making you more capable of protecting me?"

Finally, the fragment looked away, and perhaps it was Yuugi's imagination but he could've sworn the room just became colder. _**"He… I wanted to teach you a lesson."**_ When Yuugi pulled away in complete shock, the fragment let him go. He curled into a ball and harshly closed his hands over his ears. He couldn't look at Yuugi in the eyes. _**"I agreed…" **_he whispered, _**"that… I'd rather have you broken… than have you dead."**_ For the first time, Yuugi finally noticed the unending stream of tears dripping down the fragment's face. _**"If it keeps you from putting yourself in danger… If it keeps you from playing the hero… If it keeps you **_**alive**… _**then I will… gladly embrace the darkness."**_

Then he wailed.

"_**I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Aibou! I'm sorry!"**_

The pain—

"_**I just want to protect you!"**_

It was just too raw.

Too raw.

Yuugi heard the unspoken words.

_**I don't want to lose you.**_

_**I don't want to lose you again.**_

_**It's my fault, it's all my fault—**_

_**For making you pay for my own weakness.**_

_**So I'll lock this weakness away.**_

_**I'll lock it away, seal it, and make sure it never sees the light of day.**_

_**I will embrace this darkness—**_

_**And even if it hurts you…**_

_**I will protect you in the end.**_

_**I will.**_

_**I will not lose you.**_

_**I will keep you alive—**_

_**No matter what.**_

_**I'm… I'm so, so sorry—**_

_**My precious, little aibou.**_

"YUUGI!"

Yuugi's head snapped up to see a furious, intimidating figure standing by the light of the door. Of course, Yuugi recognised the figure immediately. It was Yami—the mostly complete Yami—and his bright eyes were ablaze with anger and his rage seemed to channel to the shadow magic around him, making them act out wildly in dark tendrils. Yuugi stood up from his position on the floor, not noticing how the fragment Yami cowered and retreated back into his corner. Yuugi simply marched forwards, ignoring the burning sting of tears in his eyes as they dripped furiously down his face, and stepped in front of Yami without any sense of fear or hesitation despite his intimidating aura.

Then he grabbed his face in both his hands and gave him a solid, merciless head-butt.

At the cracking echo of the hit, Yami's shadow magic instantly collapsed and the shadows disappeared within a second. The spirit recoiled from the unexpected attack, however, Yuugi's hands kept him firmly in place. With a face contorted with dire pain, Yami stared into the eyes of his host with unfiltered shock and bewilderment, their faces only a few centimetres apart.

Yuugi didn't look fazed at all; instead, his eyes were still ablaze.

Because he was suddenly sick of it—

Yes, he too was in pain; he too was suffering from the effects of a betrayal.

But he realised that Yami was feeling the exact same way.

And Yuugi was tired of it all, of all this misery and anger—

So it was time for him to step up, and to answer the wailing beckon from the very depths of Yami's soul—

Yuugi will finally reach out to save him, as only he could, in the same manner that Yami himself had saved him countless times before.

"You…" he started, his voice trembling. His glare was fierce despite the tears that freely poured out of his eyes. "You need to snap out of it, mou hitori no boku. Right **now**. Or so help me I will _make_ you."

0o0

Chapter Three: End.

0o0


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